My research centers on persuasion as it relates to the communication of health information. Current projects involve an analysis of the role of interactivity in health-related Internet sites and a comparative content analysis of pro-anorexia and eating disorder treatment web sites. I am also studying the motivating properties of a fear arousing health appeal and the impact of health locus of control on message processing.

I received the Distinguished Faculty Award from Emerson College in 2005/2006 for my work on pro-anorexia web sites and have received an internal Faculty Advancement Grant for 2006 to analyze the content of discussion board interactions within the pro-anorexia community.

I received the SPN Action Teaching Award for my "Research in Community Action" assignment. This work was partly supported by a Seed Grant sponsored by the Office of Service Learning and Community Action at Emerson College.

Primary Interests:

Applied Social Psychology
Attitudes and Beliefs
Communication, Language
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Health Psychology
Internet and Virtual Psychology
Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence

Applied Social Psychology
Attitudes and Beliefs
Communication, Language
Emotion, Mood, Affect
Health Psychology

Internet and Virtual Psychology
Personality, Individual Differences
Persuasion, Social Influence

Journal Articles:

Aizen, I., Brown, T. C., & Rosenthal, L. H. (1996). Information bias in contingent valuation: Effects of personal relevance, quality of information, and motivational orientation. Journal of Environmental and Economic Management, 30, 43-57.
Aizen, I., Rosenthal, L. H., & Brown, T. C. (2000). Effects of perceived fairness on willingness to pay. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30, 2439-2450.
Keller, S. N., Rosenthal, L. H., & Rosenthal, P. S. (under review). A comparison of pro-anorexia nad treatment web sites: A look at the Health Belief Model. Journal of Health Psychology.
Rosenthal, L. H., Keller, S. N., & Rosenthal, P. S. (under review; revision & resubmission). Interactivity and social support: An analysis of persuasive communication features on pro-anorexia and anorexia treatment websites. International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Other Publications:

Staub, E., & Rosenthal, L. H. (1995). Mob violence: Cultural-societal sources, instigators, group processes, and participants. In L. Eron, J. Gentry, & P. Schlegel (Eds.), Reason to Hope: A Psychosocial Perspective on Violence and Youth (pp. 281-314). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Courses Taught:

Consumer Behavior
Good and Evil
Introduction to Psychology
Organizational Behavior
Personality Psychology
Psychology of Personal Growth and Adjustment
Research Methods
Social Psychology

Consumer Behavior
Good and Evil
Introduction to Psychology
Organizational Behavior
Personality Psychology

Psychology of Personal Growth and Adjustment
Research Methods
Social Psychology

Lori H. Rosenthal
Department of Social Sciences
Lasell College
Newton, MA 02466
United States

Phone: (617) 243-2074